Further
by Draco'sFictitiousWifey
Summary: The night that changed Zuko's life forever. Oneshot. Alternate Universe, starts after Book 2. OOCness, mpreg, birth scene. Zuko/?...


**Disclaimer: I own no characters or anything else owned by Mike, Bryan, and those people at Nicklodeon who do legally own this. **

**A/n: Tell me what you think please! **

Outside of the young prince's room, the soldiers watched as a group of men in black robes were lead down the corridor by the princess herself. As they approached, the soldiers fell to their knees, placing their heads against the folded red of their sleeves as their hands pressed into the floor. Only when the Princess passed through the heavy golden doors, did they raise themselves, wincing at the scream that escaped out of the open entryway. The Dai Li halted as the doors swung closed in front of them, muffled sounds being the only indication of the agony taking place within.

"You must push my prince!" the midwife wiped the sweat from her brow as she stood at the end of the bed, gazing between the open legs of the prince himself.

Zuko screamed, the pain in his stomach causing him to clenched the sheets between his fingers while he bore down for all he was worth.

"That's it, your majesty. You're doing well." Zuko gave a choked sobbed in response and heaved again, riding out his effort with the contraction. But as the contraction ended, Zuko became aware of an intense burning that flared up at his opening and attempted to draw back from it, drawing his legs closer together and whimpering. The midwife wouldn't let him, however, and instead gestured at the only other maid in the room to hold his legs. " No, my prince you can't give up now, you'll have to push this babe out if you want to get rid of the pain." Grimacing, Zuko clutched at his slightly rounded belly as he gave another push, feeling the burning increase dramatically as he was stretched by the widest part of his child's head before it was out; its dark hair nestled between his thighs. Zuko panted harshly, shocked by what was happening to him. He was actually giving birth!

But he had no more time to think about that as the child demanded his full attention. With one last scream, Zuko gave another push and then slump against the sheets, energy spent but still aware of the situation as he heard a weak crying in the backward.

Zuko felt tears well up in his eyes and looked towards the midwife, anxious to receive his child.

Or more correctly, his son. Zuko drank in the face eagerly as the midwife held the baby up for him to see. He noted the dark complexion was not his own, but everything else- the black wisps of hair, and (barely recognizable between the tiny slits of the babies unopened eyes) the rare golden eyes- was inherited from him. Zuko reached out, as midwife remained at the bottom of the bed with his child in her arms.

His open arms were ignored.

The midwife turned away from him, his son still encased in her hands. Zuko, looked at her in confusion, too weak to understand what was happening.

"I thought I told you not to show him the kid." Both Zuko and the midwife turned to see Azula leaning against the doorway, "oh well, I guess your life isn't that important." The midwife's expression turned to one of horror.

"Please your majesty, I've done what you ask-"

"No, I think we just established that you haven't. But, it doesn't even matter, hand me the kid and get out of my face."

The midwife looked at Azula and then to the baby in her arms, uncertain of what to do and looking for a way out. But Azula didn't let her find one. Snapping her fingers, she watched as Dai Li swarmed into the room, ripping the child from the midwife's arms and encasing the woman's arms in gauntlets of rocks.

The women cried out in alarm, and the action brought Zuko, who had been staring at the scene with dawning horror, to his sense. He scrambled out of bed, collapsing against the wall as his legs, exhausted and trembling, tried to hold his weight.

"Azula... what are you doing?" Zuko's voice was hoarse from screaming, and tears had risen in his eyes. " Give me my son." Azula smirked at her brother's weakened form and watched as he struggled his way towards her, using the wall as his crutch, one hand reaching for the Dai Li holding the child. Seeing what he was doing the man turned to give the child to his master, realizing his mistake only after his back was brutally burned in a stream of fire. Before anyone had a chance to react, Zuko dived with a speed quicker than he should have been able to do in his weakened state, and attempted to snatch his child out of the slackening grip of the Dai Li soldier.

His way was blocked, however, as in one smooth move his sister reached the man before him and with one hand, she removed the child, while with the other she let loose her own blue stream of fire. Zuko dived out of the way unbalanced, and scorched from his close proximity with the flames.

The Dai Li immediately converged on his wounded form, forcing him to kneel with his hands pinned and encased behind his back.

"Tsk, tsk," Azula stood in front of her brother, her arms full of a crying child. "You're really a mess Zuko. You should really stop struggling before you tear something," a sly glance at his thigh, down which a steady stream of blood flowed, "and besides... you're scaring my nephew." Azula smirked at the look of pure rage Zuko sent her, still struggling weakly against the hands that held him. "I'm honestly surprised Zuko. How could you not see this coming? Did you honestly think our Father was going to allow you back as the crowned prince with a bastard in your belly? If you did, it was quite naive of you. Really, one would think that you would realize getting knocked up by a peasant was far worse than standing up to a general in the war room. Even if you did kill the Avatar," and here Azula stopped in her speech to give Zuko a smirk, as if to say, _and we both know you haven't_, "why would father want the heir to empire he's building to be a filthy half-blood? Really Zuko," Azula turned her head to one side so that she had the appearance of being truly sincere, " you should consider yourself lucky. Your usefulness in taking out the Avatar was the only thing that allowed Father to find the mercy in his heart not to kill you. Your child on the other hand..." Azula paused, appreciating how her brother's face paled in fear, " must be disposed of."

Zuko struggle fiercely at her last words and was brutally forced into the ground for his effort. Panting and crying from the pain of his entire situation, Zuko felt all his rage vanish as the reality of the situation crashed upon him, leaving him only desperation.

"Azula, please, don't do this!" Zuko stared into his sister's uncaring eyes. "He's my son. You can't take him away from me..." A sob broke threw Zuko's sentence as Azula stared at him unmoved. " Azula! You're my sister! He's your nephew! How can you let Father take him away from me. Why our you doing this? I don't understand.. just give me back my son!" Tears streamed down the prince's face, the damp black hair plastered to his forehead enhancing his pitiful, desperate state.

His pleading only seem to enrage his sister however, who turned and left him struggling in the Dai Li's arms, tears flowing freely down his face.

Zuko watched his son be taken away further and further away from him.

The image would haunt him forever.

**A/n: i'm not to happy with this but don't think i cld do better. I put it up because I plan to do a prequel and a sequel to it...and I wanted to write a oneshot. Or attempt to at least. :) Please tell me what you think by REVIEWING! ~ DFW**


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